Month: May 2021

West End:- Kingfisher, 10 Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, 6 Heron, Swan, 4 Black-headed Gulls, 9 Cormorants.
Dam End:- Yellowhammer, 3 Buzzards, 2 Whitethroat, Common Tern, Skylark, Magpie, 2 Crows.

Whillet’s:- 6 Ravens, 1m Yellowhammer, 2 Garden Warblers, 6 Reed Warblers.
3 Grass Snakes,1 White-legged Damselfly,1 female Beautiful Demoiselle,1 Hairy Dragonfly,1 Small Tortoiseshell,2 Green-Veined White, 2 Brimstone, 2 Orange Tips and 6 Small Coppers.

West End:- 15 Common Terns on rafts.

West End (13.06-14.06):- 10 Canada Geese, 1 Greylag Goose, 4 Mallard, 1 Mandarin m, 5 Great Crested Grebe, 37 Cormorants, 21 Grey Heron, 8 Common Tern, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 3 Swallow, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Jackdaw, 1 Carrion Crow, 1 Buzzard.

Hobby seen for several minutes over north side of dam at about 10:00. 2 Grey and 2 Pied Wagtails on dam wall. 2 Bullfinches, several Garden Warblers and 2 Blackcaps along the north bank path. Sedge Warbler heard.

West End highlights:- 1 Red Kite flew over,  2 pairs of Great Crested Grebe have started nesting, 6 pairs of Common Terns are visiting the rafts with some sitting on nests. Stock Dove and Jackdaw nests have young. Pair of Reed Warblers in front of the hide, also Common Whitethroat.
North Bank:-  3+ Garden Warblers, Blackcaps, Reed Warbler heard.
By the canoeists slipway a new plant species for the reserve was found “Fringecups”; a garden escape now becoming naturalized, originally from North America.  Another North American plant found in the reserve is “Skunk Cabbage”. It is officially classed as an invasive alien and we are required to remove it.
Whillet’s:- Reed Bunting singing, 4+ Reed Warblers at the reed-bed, 2 Kingfishers. A female Orange Tip and a Green-veined White butterfly.

WeBS
Dam End:- 6 Buzzard, 11 Common Tern, 50+ Swift, 5 House Martin, 1 Grey Wagtail, 8+1juv Pied Wagtail, 2 Herring Gull flyover, 2 Dunnock, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Nuthatch, 2 Jay, 1 Chaffinch. Also 1 Fox.
Lagoon:– 2+3 juv Little Grebe.
West End:- 50 Cormorant, 1 Mute Swan, 2m+(1f with 7 chicks} Mandarin, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Kingfisher, 10 Swallow, 1 Reed Warbler, 2 Crow.
Whillet’s:- 1 Kingfisher, 2+ Reed Warbler, 2 Yellowhammer, 1 Reed Bunting. Also 2 Small Copper butterflies and 1 Burnet Companion moth.  Under Tins: 3 Toads, 1 Common Shrew, 1 Wood Mouse and 2 Field Voles.
Combined counts for above areas: 27 Great Crested Grebe, 27 Grey Heron, 3 Greylag, 10+4 juv Canada Geese, 20+2 juv Mallard, 2 Moorhen, 5 Stock Dove, 2 Kingfisher, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Wren, 3 Song Thrush, 8 Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warbler, 4 Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrest, 5 Goldfinch, 5 Bullfinch.

Dam End:- 1 Black Tern.
West End:- 1 Osprey.

Dam End:- 13 Common Terns, 30 Swifts, 60 House Martins and 20 Swallows.
West End:- 10 Common Terns.